We Remember
HALL, Linda May
December 14, 1952 — September 17, 2024
Very sad news. Linda passed away on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024, peacefully at Hospice House in Kelowna, BC. Linda’s cancer diagnosis in July was followed by a rapid decline in her health. Linda faced her ‘course correction’ with courage and steadfastness.
Linda will be sadly missed by her partner, Jeff; her brother, Harvey Hall (Barb) in Nanaimo, BC; her sister Sharon Solvey (Rick) in Lethbridge; and her daughter, Kim Piea in Medicine Hat, AB. She was predeceased by her parents, Earl Harvey Hall and Martha Hall (née Baumback).
Linda retired as a Professor at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences in 2019 and moved to Kelowna, BC, with her partner Jeff. Linda was an energetic and creative person who loved travel, hiking, kayaking, golf, quilting, and gardening.
Linda quickly found a great circle of friends upon arriving in Kelowna through her involvement with the Okanagan Quilting Guild and Quilt Canada, her hiking group, and others who were interested in being active. Linda’s garden is a showpiece and a testament to her love of plants, vision, and commitment to doing things well.
Linda will be sorely missed by her family and friends.
Sincerest thanks are extended to Dr. Daniel Van der Merwe and Dr. Marianne Taylor for their compassionate care. In addition, Linda received excellent care from the kind and caring staff at the BC Cancer Centre and at Hospice House. Thank you!
If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area call “Condolences”.
Linda was a strong and caring individual. I looked up to her. She will be missed.
My condolences to Linda’s family. Linda and I were PhD students in the same department. I appreciated her ideas, energy, and sense of humor. I can see that she had a great career at University of Alberta, making many important contributions, particularly in her training of students.
My deep condolences to Linda’s family. She was a good colleague at the University of Alberta.
Our deepest sympathies to Linda’s family, we were saddened to hear of her passing. I remember her being such a vibrant force with a passion for agriculture and her work on group 2 resistance. May she rest in eternal peace.
I met Linda (and Milo) during her post-doc period in Adelaide, South Australia in the 1990’s. Linda’s energy inspired me, a young (sheltered) researcher. My wife and I pass on our condolences to all her family and friends. She will be missed!!!
This is sad news, indeed. I met Linda only recently, but intelligence,
I had the pleasure of working with Linda when she worked for Alberta Agriculture…her contributions to the agriculture industry were substantial and lasting. She was a great researcher and educator and a wonderful colleague. Sending heartfelt condolences to all of her family and friends.
My sincere condolences to Jeff as well as Linda’s family. I have great memories of associating with and learning from Linda and her students.
My deepest sympathies to Linda’s family and friends. I only met Linda a couple of times when I attended CWSS meetings. At my very first meeting I was feeling a little out of place and ended up with Linda leading my dinner group. There were just three of us and she showed us such a good time. I also shared dinner with her in Kelowna and she told me to make sure I saw Kelowna while I was there, even if it meant missing some of the conference. I took her advice. And am still always thankful I did! She was so kind and lovely.
Linda was an inspiration to the weed science community. Her energy and enthusiasm drove us forward. She was creative and inspired creativity from colleagues and graduate students. She made a big difference to so many lives and to the agriculture sector.
My sincere sympathy to Linda’s family and friends. I first met Linda through the Canadian Weed Science Society when she came full of energy and excitement about weed science for Alberta. I watched her emerge as an accomplished researcher and educator with the University. Her smile and laughter was an inspiration to us all. She will be missed by so many.
From all the weedy people at the University of Guelph, our deep felt sadness at the loss of such a wonderful person and colleague.. May her life be remembered as a blessings to all that she loved and worked with.
I only recently met Linda, at quilt guild. She was energetic, happy , more than willing to share her talents and ideas. She took me under her wing to be the best president, for the quilt guild, and guided me thru the learning curve of an executive position. She said if I fail, she failed, and that was not an option! I will miss her encouragement, unfailing generosity, and her let’s get it done attitude. May she rest in peace!
My condolences to her entire family!
My sincere condolences to Linda’s family and friends. Linda was a weed science lab instructor at U of S when I completed my Crop Science undergraduate degree. Later in my career, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Linda on several projects including as a guest lecturer at Linda’s U of A Herbicide Mode of Action Courses as well as co-sponsor of several U of A graduate students. Linda was always highly supportive of her students and as a result, many weed scientists have benefitted from her guidance and encouragement. The weed science community will forever benefit from Linda’s contributions and we are eternally grateful!
Very sad news. May Linda’s memory be a blessing.
Heartfelt condolences to Jeff and Linda’s family. Great memories of meeting with Linda over the years, especially at the CWSS conferences.
My sincere condolences to all if Linda’s family. Linda was a member of our quilt guild and shared her talents and energy with the group. She spearheaded a project to give quilts in these spirit of reconciliation and this year organized a project to provide quilts for those who lost their houses in the 2023 fires.
We will miss you, my friend
My sincere condolences to Linda’s family. I worked with Linda at the University of Alberta. She was so supportive of students and faculty. Many of us benefited from her vibrancy and joy for life. She will be missed.
My sincere condolences to all Linda’s family. I met Linda at an event in Brazil about Canola. We talk about competition and weed control in canola, a lot of learning
Linda and I were colleagues at the University of Alberta. She was a wonderful teacher, mentor and a human being. She will be missed. Our deepest condolences to Jeff and Linda’s family.
Linda and I are cousins. Cousins are connected heart to heart and time can’t break them apart. Rest in peace Linda. My heartfelt condolences to her daughter Kim, Linda’s family and Jeff.
Dr. Linda Hall is, was and always will be a Legend! She was my PhD supervisor and taught me well not just about science but also about life.
I was lucky enough to be one of Linda’s many graduate students. She left a profound and lasting impact on her students that transcended academics. She will be greatly missed, but her impact will continue to last decades. Her teachings helped steer my “boat of life” in so many positive directions, long after I graduated. My condolences to Jeff, Linda’s family, and her many friends both new and old.
My sincere condolences to Linda’s family. Gone far too soon and far too quickly.
Linda was an amazing scientist, educator, teacher and supervisor. I had the privilege of being her first official graduate student at the U of A. She saw potential in me and all her graduate student that sometimes we didn’t even see ourselves, and she dedicated herself to helping us realize that potential. She forged her own path in everything she did and I am forever grateful her path intersected with mine. My sincere condolences to her family and friends.
My sincere condolences to Linda’s vast network of friends and family. Linda was an inspiration on so many levels. She was an exceptional scientist, a dedicated mentor, and a loyal friend. Her energy was boundless and she threw herself into all projects big and small with an enthusiasm that was contagious. She was smart, funny, driven, and kind. I am deeply grateful for her mentorship and her friendship. I have included a photo of us doing field work many years ago. The only photo I could find and while I am sure there are better photos out there, the fact that she is in a patch of weeds with her head down and hard at work is also perfect. She really put so much of herself into everything she did and the world was a better place with her in it. You will be missed Linda.
Sending my condolences to the family. Linda was a force in both academia and common sense. She was a bright light as a professor at the U of A teaching so much to young and learning agronomists. She leaves a great legacy and will be dearly missed.
Linda was a mentor to me and I loved working with her. We had a lot of fun with the “How Herbicides Work” project and she was always so good to talk to. She brought out the best in others and I will miss her very much.
My sincere condolences to Linda’s family and friends. Linda was an inspiration to all of us at OVQG and will be dearly missed. I took this photo of Linda in April 2023 at Sarsons Beach in Kelowna. A group of us went to the beach and wrapped ourselves in our quilts
My sincere condolences to Linda’s family and friends. She was a tremendous help as I transitioned from school to work and will always be appreciative of her guidance. She will be missed.
My sincere condolences to Jeff and Linda’s family. Linda was a great colleague and a gifted professor. Her students always spoke highly of her. I was Facebook friends with her, and enjoyed following her adventures and interests in retirement. She left an outstanding legacy and will be sadly missed.
Ohhh Linda, I will miss you so much. Jeff and family, I am so sorry. Linda and I aligned on so many planes: biology, gardening, kayaking, hiking, quilting… I am profoundly saddened by her passing, and will miss her bouncy and positive nature, and her sharp wit, with just a hint of mischief. I have a few photos of Linda – kayaking, hiking, and making up pheromone trap allotments for cherry growers – but this one from an afternoon of cooking up African dishes shows the sparkle she brought to every day.
I send my condolences to Linda’s family and friends. I was one of her students and she impacted my life in so many ways. She was an incredible mentor, colleague, and friend. I learned so much from her not just about weed science or graduate school, but about life, and about myself. She believed and taught me to believe I was capable than so much more that I thought – and did that with all of her students. She will be greatly missed.
Linda was a warm and welcoming colleague at the UofA who was fun to be with and work alongside. I have many happy memories of time spent with Linda and friends at the Faculty Club! No doubt you lived life to the fullest Linda!
My sincere condolences to Jeff and Linda’s family. I spent the winter of 2014 in her lab at the University of Alberta. She kindly took me in, provided me with office space, and made me part of her lab and her family. She empowered me and encouraged me to pursue my career as a weed scientist. I’m so fortunate to have Linda as a mentor and role model. She will be genuinely missed from our lives but never from our hearts.
Condolences to Linda’s family. She was awesome!
My sincere condolences to Jeff and Linda’s family. She lived a dream retirement in Kelowna with her quilting, gardening and hiking friends. Her creativity was fierce and fearless and she shared it so generously with warmth, humour and enthusiasm, A truly unforgettable lady, gone too soon.
Sending sincere condolences to Jeff, family and friends. Hoping good memories will comfort you during this difficult time
My deepest condolences to Linda’s family and friends. I crossed paths with Linda when I was a graduate student in Manitoba and again as part of the CWSS. She was always inspiring, smiling and helpful. She was a true mentor and friend. She will be missed by all that knew her. With sympathy, Kristen Obeid
My sincere condolences to Linda’s family and her worldwide weed science community. I was one of Linda’s graduate students at University of Alberta. She was an outstanding mentor. I have learned so much from her. She was very careful about each and every member of her lab. We did so many studies but had so much fun together. She was a great human being. After watching her, I became interested in weed science academic world. Here is a photo when my colleague Marc McPherson completed his PhD defense seminar. The snap includes Linda’s group members at that time. There were no smart phones at that time, so I didn’t find any selfie with her. I greatly appreciate Linda’s support in my career.
May her soul rest in peace.
Amit Jhala
I had the honour of knowing Linda as an instructor at the University of Alberta and later working with her as a colleague at Alberta Agriculture. She had a tremendous sense of humor and had such a big impact on so many people. She will be greatly missed by colleagues and friends around the globe. My sincere condolences to Linda’s family.
I was saddened to hear of Linda’s passing when I was informed on the weekend. Linda was the consummate scientist and professor. Science excellence, tremendous collaboration, working on important topics – always connected to producers. Linda was part of Alberta Ag when I joined the Plant Industry Division. Linda then moved to our Faculty with the same commitment to teaching, research and student mentorship. My condolences to Linda’s family and friends.
My thoughts are with you and your family, Jeff. I know you shared some amazing travels with Linda and my hope is that these memories will give you comfort during this very difficult time.
My sincere condolences to Linda’s family and Jeff. I have great memories of discussions with Linda. She has been a great mentor and example to follow for many students.
Hi Jeff, family and friends,
I was a tough read to learn about Linda’s passing. Linda was an excellent scientist in the discipline of Weed Science diving into important topics such as herbicide resistance. Linda was also a well-liked teacher who taught more than her fair share of Plant Science courses. Finally, she was a fantastic colleague to be around in our Department. My condolences.
I met Linda when she joined the U of A. I was always impressed with how much she cared for her students and her efforts to help them succeed. We had many great conversations about what was important and she put students before herself in time spent out of the classroom. When we did a major home Reno 20 years ago, Linda did our plant selection and we had fun working on that. Her artistic side was evident in the quilts she had hung on her office walls. It was a gift to have known her.
Sad indeed. Such a bundle of energy and enthusiasm.
I fondly remember Linda from her grad student days and later as a reviewer for papers. She was a clear and honest thinker and broker of science. She will be missed by many.